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SOUL VOICE

“The Ego Sacrifice – Part 1”

Relationships are life’s primary treasure but they go the wrong way when there is a development of ego in either person in the relationship. You will find that people are always satisfied with those who are humble. Also the relationships of the ones, who are egoless, are problem-free and free of differences of opinions. It is also said that the relationship in which either person learns to sacrifice his or her ego at the right time and when required, is the one in which there is continuous peace and goodwill. Very often the only reason for blockages in a relationship is the inability to sacrifice the I, the me and the my. It sometimes seems very strange but love is lost in so many relationships because of the inability to mould and sacrifice the ego and become as the other person expects you to be. Differences of opinions are often seen in all relationships but to be able to solve them and rise above them is the challenge which actually every human being has to face at some point of time or the other. All of us desire for love filled relationships but are we able to make that much needed sacrificial bow? What that means? Something like – I lose or I am not always right or Please go ahead of me or You take charge or even accepting that – You are better than me.

Sometimes it is seen in many different types of relationships in the family or in the office, that at first everything is fine and then as time passes and two people come closer to each other, there are misunderstandings. The relationship becomes like a boat without a rudder and it loses its direction. Why does this happen and why not right at the beginning? Initially the hearts are close and everything is easy like making the sacrifice and becoming the less dominant person in the relationship. But slowly the two people will start taking each other for granted and what seemed a beautiful relationship full of understanding becomes filled with thorns of sorrow and personality clashes.

Expression:For the one who knows the value of time, each moment is valuable. Each and every moment of each new day is spent in a worthwhile way. There is an expression of the inner potentials and powers with each passing second. Not a moment passes by without recognizing its worth.

Experience: When I know to value the time that is in my hands, the present, I will neither be caught up too much with the past nor with the future. I will be able to enjoy this moment and so there will never be a dull moment in my life. I will be able to bring constant progress with each passing second and experiencing success constantly.

“The Ego Sacrifice – Part 2”

Whenever you come into contact with another person, see to it that you are yourself but at the same time you give the other person space by letting him or her be themselves. What that means is that let the other person express themselves in a way they want to and not necessarily in a way that you want them to express or act. They shouldn’t be a puppet in your hands. Tell them, guide them, but always be ready to sacrifice your opinion, your view point, attachment to your virtue or particular sanskara which you think is absolutely right and perfect. Also be ready to let the other person’s opinion rule the situation involving the two of you. Some people find this as the most difficult thing to do in a relationship and this requires spiritual power and also a lot of love inside you for the other person. Also, we need qualities like humility and contentment, which are extremely important. We are talking about any relationship – at home or in your friend circle or anywhere else; with the opposite gender or with the same gender; with your child or with your boss, with a friend or with your spouse.

There is a fine line between remaining in a high self-esteem about what you think is right and what you know about a particular situation and letting the other person also contribute in that thought process. What that means is you need to allow the other person to enter that personal space of your thought process. Very often we construct walls around our thinking process and don’t let the other person enter it because of the fear that the other person might dominate that space and also the attachment to one’s own space. Remember the ones who bow down and are comfortable with people’s views and give them as much respect as their own opinions and view points are the rulers of everyone’s hearts. People are not ruled by power but their hearts are filled with love to get their love and respect in return. And that happens by keeping the other ahead of you in interactions not only on a physical level but also on a thought level and the level of emotions.

To be a creator means to use all treasures for a positive contribution.

Expression:Even in the most negative situations, the one who has the thought of creation, works towards bettering the situation. Every thought, word and action is towards creation and not towards worsening the situation. Such a person is not concerned about who spoilt the situation or how it got spoilt. To the extent possible, he works towards bettering the situation.

Experience: When I am working towards creation, I am able to make the best use of my resources and treasures. I then experience constant progress. I also experience contentment of having made a contribution, however little it may be. I have no questions, but only answers under all circumstances.

“The Ego Sacrifice – Part 3”

Remember that in every relationship the person who keeps the other ahead is the one who leads the relationship although it may seem otherwise. Keeping the other ahead means saying yes to the other person even if at times you do not agree with the other person’s opinion in a particular matter of common interest. Very often in offices and in homes; you will see at some places, people are so closely knit together. At some other ones, there are negative energy as well as negative word exchanges due to different ways of how people manage the relationships. At one place, the two office colleagues have such a beautiful bond with each other where a day at the office is like a smooth ride and they will never quarrel with each other. On the other hand, in another office, two different people just cannot work with each other and cannot see eye to eye. The main reason for this is simple – I am smarter than you or I am more efficient or I work harder than you or I am more intelligent etc. Such thoughts spoil the relationship and don’t let it become a beautiful bond full of love and closeness.

They say – forget the differences and become friends. But an important point to note that differences between any two people will always exist. There are no two people with exactly the same view points and ideas. But these differences have to be forgotten. In other words they have to be resolved. That is the key to success. Success in an office is not measured only by your talents and how well you perform alone but also by how well you handle your relationships or how sweet and humble you are. Such people are respected immensely in a workplace. People want to be in their company much more than the ones who are egoistic and extremely rigid in their views and are unable to bow down or sacrifice the ego when required. Remember life is short. So why not enjoy each day with your parent, your spouse, your office friend, your mother-in-law, whoever it may be. They all matter to you and you all matter to them. So cherish their blessings by making the ego sacrifice.

Expression:To forget the mistakes of the past means to take the learning from them and then forget them. When there is the ability to do this, there is also the ability to make the best use of the resources available in the present. There is a clear vision for the future and constant effort to move towards it.

Experience: When I am able to forgive my own mistakes after understanding how to correct them, I am able to forget them. This keeps me mentally free and I am able to move forward with lightness. Whatever situations come my way, I am able to enjoy them like a game.

“The Art Of Tolerance – Part 1”

It is important to understand that to overcome problems you need, on the one hand, inner power, and, on the other, the capacity to tolerate. Tolerating does not mean to put up with. To tolerate is to accept, understand and know how to face things. That is, to tolerate is not to put up with and then explode at a later stage. In tolerance you dissolve that which, otherwise you would be putting up with. Tolerance is like the ocean, which is an example of tolerance, because we throw a lot of dirt into the ocean, the ocean absorbs it and, over time, transforms it. Tolerance is being like the ocean, that is, knowing how to absorb and dissolve, and finally to make it disappear.

Tolerance has to be balanced with the capacity to face things, which is based on bravery, courage and personal security. Having the power to tolerate gives you security and trust that you will be able to, you will achieve it, and you will advance. Tolerance is necessary for shared living, to be and allow to be. With the virtue of tolerance, you will continue to smile, you will never be discouraged. To smile when someone praises you is not to be tolerant. However, when someone turns into an angry enemy and insults you, but you do not have even the slightest sign of dejection on your face, not even in your thoughts, that is to be tolerant. To look, to speak and to enter in contact with feelings of compassion, patience, comprehension, love and respect, with a person that you do not have a good relationship with, is to have tolerance.

Thought to Ponder: If I don’t keep my mind busy with the right things, it will just wander and maybe even go to those things that are harmful. The mind is like a child. I need to know the art of keeping it busy, so that it is not attracted to anything harmful. So, it is important that we keep a schedule for the mind too, just as we keep a schedule for the activities of the day.

Point to Practice: Today I will make a schedule for myself for the mind. My schedule for the mind would be that which inspires me to change my consciousness while I am doing what I am doing. I will remember one quality or specialty of mine and keep it as a background in all I do. For example, I take the thought, “I have a special role to play in the drama of life. I am a good actor using all my best qualities and abilities” It could also be a thought like, “I am contributing my sweetness (or any other value) in all I do”.

“The Art Of Tolerance – Part 2”

In the Ramayana, Mahavir Hanuman has been portrayed as carrying a great mountain in his hand as if it were a ball. It does not matter if the problem, obstacle or storm seems like a great mountain: one need to turn something that appears as big as a mountain into a small toy, and overcome it as if it were a game. Making something big very light makes you also feel light. Don’t turn a small stone into a mountain; turn the mountain into a ball. To take the expansion to its essence is tolerance.

Expanding obstacles and problems in your mind or speaking of them to others means to create mountains.Don’t go into expansion: put a full stop and turn over the page of life and that way you will advance. A tolerant person is always capable of taking expansion, problems and obstacles to their essence with knowledge, meditation and silence. When you choose the longest road, doing so consumes more and ends up by exhausting your time and energy. Expansion is the longest road and the essence is to take a shortcut. Both work in order to get to the other side, but those who take a shortcut are able to save their time and energy, they do not get discouraged. They constantly enjoy themselves and overcome everything with a smile. That is being tolerant. When you have developed the power of tolerance, you do things with pleasure. We are not referring to the physical pleasures but rather to living a life with pleasure in your heart, and that way you will be able to transform any situation or task from confusion into pleasure.

Thought to Ponder: When I don’t understand the real cause of my weakness, I cannot get rid of it fully. It, then, keeps coming back again and again in some or the other form. So, the first thing I need to do is to understand why that particular weakness is coming up again and again. For example, if my weakness is laziness, I need to check if it is because of escapism or fear of failure or any other weakness. This practice helps me to work on my real weakness.

Point to Practice: Today I will pick out one weakness of mine, which I want to do away with. I will then, try and discover what is the real cause of my weakness. I will then try and work on removing that weakness first. I will also do this with a lot of self-respect without any negative feelings.

“The Art Of Tolerance – Part 3”

Someone who has the power of tolerance will never be afraid or think: Why is this happening to me too?As they are constantly full, they will go deeper into the knowledge and the memory of what is essential in life. The one who is full of fear is not capable of going deeper. That’s why there is depth in something that is full (wholeness). The one who has expansion is empty; for this reason, something that is empty resounds and that person devotes him or herself to muttering (talking excessively) away.

The one who has wholeness is silent; the one who is empty speaks a lot. Someone who lives in expansion will be constantly murmuring saying things like: Why this? What is this? This should not be like that but rather in this way. It shouldn’t be like that. This person will continue talking in this way in their thoughts and in their words, and also while interacting with others. What happens when you chatter away, beyond the limits? Your murmuring leaves you dry, out of breath and you tire. Those who are tolerant are saved from all these things and for this reason they always feel enjoyment and bliss, they do not chatter but rather fly in the wholeness of their inner silence.

Thought to Ponder: Life gives opportunities constantly to express my qualities or to gain new skills. When I understand this, there is no effort in doing things. Each and every action is done with love. Such a person is truly fortunate, because where there is love, everything becomes easy. No new challenge or demand from the external situation is seen as a threat. It, in fact, becomes an opportunity to express my qualities or discover new qualities from within me.

Point to Practice: Today I will move forward with courage. Whatever situations life brings me, I am going to welcome them with love. I will deal with all those situations with the right spirit. With love I find things becoming easy. I also win the good wishes of others, helping me to move forward with more ease.

“The Art Of Tolerance – Part 4”

Life teaches you that you can widen the limits of your tolerance. When certain situations arrive, they are like exams in order to see your capacity to tolerate. These exams can first be the unpleasant words and harassment by people towards you. Secondly, the different obstacles that place themselves in your path, making it difficult to carry out your aims. There are also people that you trust who will oppose you. Your work colleagues or your partners or your relatives or even children turn into your enemies and create opposition because they are not happy about small or big issues. With the feeling of satisfying those who are not happy, considering that they are influenced by something, holding on to benevolent (generous) feelings and with the power of silence and tolerance, you can make others advance, overcome and collaborate. You can teach the lesson of tolerance with sweetness, good desires and pure feelings. That way not only do you advance, but you are also a searchlight on the road, a medium, seeing whom, others can also advance.

Learn to tolerate with wellbeing. Stabilize yourself in your inner being and, from that calm, clarity and stability you can tolerate without losing your wellbeing. To tolerate is to accept, value, understand and appreciate. Not making a mountain out of a mustard seed (rai in Hindi) but rather the contrary, by taking expansion to the essence, turning a mountain into a mustard seed (light), a mustard seed into cotton – rui in Hindi (extremely light), as the saying goes.

Thought to Ponder: When I understand that all that is mine is truly God’s, I can use all that I have sensibly. I would not want to waste anything that I have – not my money, resources, thoughts or words and actions. I would use all that I have sensibly as an instrument of God. I would also be detached, whilst doing everything.

Point to Practice: Today I will take up one resource I have, for example, the resource of thoughts. I will remind myself throughout the day that I am a trustee and God has given me these so that I can look after it well and use them for the good of myself or others. When I do this, I will not let negative or waste thoughts to come in. I will only have those thoughts that are useful. So, each day I can keep check on any of the other resources that I have.

“Understanding The Mechanism Of The Virtue Of Peace – Part 1”

Each and every human soul’s original trait or characteristic is peace. Before each soul comes down on the earth to take its first physical body, the soul is in a state of complete peace, residing in the soul world. In the soul world, the two faculties of the soul – the mind and intellect are complete inactive or dormant and the third faculty, the sanskara or spiritual personality is only that of eternal peace and purity and no other virtue like happiness, love or knowledge. The mind is completely silent, not creating a single thought or emotion or feeling nor possessing an attitude. The intellect which possesses the power to discriminate right thoughts, words or actions from the wrong ones does not exercise its power because there are no thoughts, words or actions in the soul world, so there is nothing there to discriminate. The sanskaras (as mentioned above) are also inactive to a certain extent – there are no thoughts, feelings, emotions, attitudes, words or actions to be created or processed, which would be based on the sanskaras or personality.

When the soul first takes a physical body on the world stage, it creates thoughts and feelings which are few in number and they are only positive and its words and actions are also limited and completely positive. Its discrimination power is active and completely accurate and its sanskaras or personality come into an active mode (sanskaras other than peace also become active) but only for a positive purpose to create positive thoughts, words or actions. As a result of this, the soul experiences immense peace, but the extent of the peace is lesser than that of in the soul world, where it is completely still and experiences dead silence or peace. It is never peaceless though at this stage. As the soul starts coming into the process of birth and rebirth, its starts losing its energy slowly; its mind, intellect and sanskaras start functioning negatively or incorrectly, it begins to succumb to the vices, leading to the creation of thoughts, words and actions, which are not only large in number but they are mostly waste or negative in nature. As a result, the soul gradually begins to lose its peace, which it experienced in the soul world (eternal peace) and at the start of its journey on the physical world and starts becoming peaceless. Tomorrow we shall explain how we can return to our original state of peace.

Thought to Ponder: Each second is like a seed which gives rise to a tree. If that moment is used well, there is benefit for a long time. But, if that moment is lost, there is loss. So, the benefit or loss is in multifolds. Once we understand this, we are able to fully use the treasure of time for our own benefit and that of others.

Point to Practice: Today I will keep a check on my daily routine to ensure I don’t waste any time, but rather use it well. Not to waste time means I enjoy each and every moment, whatever is the task that I am involved in. such use of each moment of time helps me reap a lot of benefit not only for the present but for the future too.

“Understanding The Mechanism Of The Virtue Of Peace – Part 2”

To have both these experiences, the basic principle that I need to remember is that to experience peace, I need to concentrate on it – concentration means creating thoughts about it and visualizing it at the same time. Secondly to access peace, I need to separate myself from my body and surroundings. So how do I bring these two principles in practice?

The first chapter of the Rajyoga meditation course as taught by the Brahma Kumaris in each of its centers states a simple fact and makes me realize it that I am not this body but I am an eternal soul, a non-physical star like spiritual energy, situated at the centre of the forehead, just above the eyebrows, the original nature of which is peace. The body is my vehicle. Now, to experience the peace experienced during the initial phases of the birth-rebirth cycle, my mind picks the above fact or wisdom from my intellect, which is a reservoir of spiritual knowledge and where the above fact is stored. Then, my intellect, which possesses the decision making ability judges the thought as to whether it is a right or wrong one. If my intellect is convinced about the fact, it judges the thought as right. Next, I take this process further. Along with creating this thought I visualize this thought on the screen of my mind i.e. see my star-like white/golden light form just above the eyebrows radiating white/golden rays of peace in all directions. I do this exercise for a few minutes. This exercise then leads me to an experience of peace, as a result of which a sanskara of peace is created. This is the peace experienced whilst visualizing the spiritual self inside the body – it is the peace experienced in the initial phases of the birth-rebirth cycle.

Thought to Ponder: Life brings certain situations that seem difficult and challenging. When such situations demand something from me (which I feel is beyond any capacity), there is a tendency to either say ‘no’ or to try and escape. On the other hand, when I say yes to the situation I will be able to discover skills and talents within me, that I never knew I had. I will thus be able to receive blessings from many.

Point to Practice: Today I will one thing that I have been avoiding to do. I will use all my skills and energies to make it happen. I will then automatically receive help and good wishes from others, which would help me further in succeeding.

“Understanding The Mechanism Of The Virtue Of Peace – Part 3”

Having created the thought about myself that I am a sparkling star-like energy at the centre of the forehead, just above the eyebrows, visualized it and as a result experienced it, now my objective is visualizing my star like form in the soul world. With this objective in mind, I now create a simple thought that I the star-like energy will make a short journey to the soul world and back. So I create simple thoughts and visualize alongside that I, the soul am leaving my physical body and flying outside. Then I, see my star like form, slowly fly past the ceiling of the room I am in and see myself suspended in the sky (night sky makes the visualization more easy). I see myself as a point of radiant light high above many many buildings and lights. This is similar to what one would see from an aeroplane window while landing or taking off. I then see my light form going higher, past the atmosphere and going past a sea of stars and a few planets and the moon. I then take this visualization further and see myself entering the soul world, a region of soft orange-red light (this is similar to how it looks like at dusk). This region is multidimensional and unlimited in size or expanse. I see my star-like form suspended in this region, radiating rays of peace in all directions. I also see other white/golden star-like souls just like me in the same region. I spend some time in this region, in this experience. In this region my thoughts stop completely and I am only visualizing.

This is the eternal peace experienced whilst visualizing the spiritual self in the soul world. The peace experienced in this exercise is greater than in the exercise mentioned yesterday. Thus the sanskara of peace created in the soul in this exercise is deeper. After a few minutes of this experience, I see myself descending in the physical body in exactly the same way as I flew to the soul world. This is just a visualization exercise or experience and the soul does not actually leave the body and go anywhere. The two practical exercises explained in yesterday’s and today’s message can be used to experience the two types of peace mentioned. At one time, you can choose to either experience both types or only the first one. You can start with a few minutes and increase the time gradually. Continuous practice will create stronger sanskaras of peace and take you closer to your original state of peace.

The method to bring about a permanent change is to bring about newness in thinking.

Thought to Ponder: To bring about a permanent change for the better means getting the mind trained to new ways of looking at the same situation. Only with this new understanding will there be a new response. Trying to bring about change in a superficial way will not bring about a long-lasting change.

Point to Practice: When I train my mind to think creatively I’m able to keep my mind busy. In this way I’m able to free it from thinking negative and waste. Also I find myself enjoying every scene that comes in front of me and I also find myself constantly progressing.

“The Power To Transform Situations – Part 1”

Very often while going through our life journey, we come across different types of surprising scenes which leave permanent scars on our memories and are difficult to erase even after many many years have passed. What makes these different types of negative episodes so difficult to overcome and why do they have so much power in them that they can influence our consciousness so much that life is not the same again, after they have passed? What makes forgetting negative scenes so demanding for many and not so much for others? Why is it that the power to face a negative situation is less in some and much more in some others?

Take an example of an accident. Sometimes suddenly in a plane crash, a few hundred people lose their lives and leave behind a few thousand people who are close to them, either friends or relatives in sorrow. But, some are able to overcome their sorrow after a few days, some take months and some years. So, it’s a completely different set of responses. Each person has their own response, based on different factors. We all experience different situations almost every day. Life is not without twists and turns and as time passes, relationships become more and more complex, natures of people around you also become more and more different from yours, work at the workplace becomes more and more challenging and competitive and also many different physical and mental illnesses are on the rise. These are some of the common spheres of life where almost everyone in the world is facing problems. Even the human mind today is not as simple and content as it was around 50 years back. Weaknesses like lust, anger, greed, attachment, ego, jealousy, hatred and low self-esteem have made people extremely complex which further increase the magnitude of the problems in their life. So how do we face them with ease?

Thought to Ponder: When I continue to think of others and wanting them to think like me, I will not be able to be free from expectations. I need to understand that each one has his own unique set of experiences. So, everyone has their own uniqueness of expression. That’s what makes the drama of life so beautiful.

Point to Practice: Today I will appreciate the uniqueness of everyone. I will at least tell 2 people how special they are and what difference their life has made. This will help me not only appreciate them, but also keep me free from any kind of expectations. Others, too, would be able to use their best qualities.

“The Power To Transform Situations – Part 2”

We all look to the world and its different situations with a positive attitude and no one wants to be negative in their approach in facing them. Yet when they come we are not able to transform them with ease and at times situations can be so powerful that many days can be spent in finding ways in overcoming them and life can become a struggle for many. Such a life in which you are not at peace in the presence of a negative situation is not something you like but at the same time, it is something which is not in the control of many of us. What that means is that a mind without positivity is difficult to remain calm and that means feeling a lack of power and also a lack of joy and contentment. Such a mind is not able to solve the problem that is in front and instead will be confused and will fear the situation.

A beautiful way of keeping the mind positive in a negative situation is to keep a powerful thought diary with you. What that means is create one affirmation or positive statement each day and note it down in your mind and keep that positive thought in your mind the whole day. Let it touch your sub-conscious mind so deeply that its effect travels in the form of positive energy outwards to the situation and is able to change it in a short period of time. Do you know that if you spend a complete day in one particular powerful thought of success, repeating it in your mind many times, you will not only be free of negativity, but also have the authority to erase the negative situation completely from your life? Such a thought gives rise to positive feelings and then slowly our attitude towards the situation becomes completely positive resulting in a positive destiny or situation in return. Try doing this the next time you face a negative situation and you will realize how it works.

Thought to Ponder: We normally have a lot of thoughts for our own progress. We do speak about it to others too. But when I want to put it into practice, I lose the determination. Then I need to question myself if I really want to do it. Integrity and honesty to myself means I am able to translate thoughts into actions, thereby making my thoughts, words and actions equal.

Point to Practice: Today I will pick one thought which is good for me and bring it into action. I will make a conscious effort to do this. When I make this practice, I will be able to progress steadily. I will also find the quality of my thoughts improving.

“The Power To Transform Situations – Part 3”

Looking at situations with spectacles of a positive vision means having positive perceptions of negative situations. So, looking at situations with a brave face and not being in awe of the situation is a way of bringing to an end the problem as early as possible. Whereas being in awe of the situation and letting it affect your mind negatively means the problem gets prolonged further and does not go away very easily. So the choice is in our hands. But as some would say this is theory and theory is easy to preach and understand but when it comes to the real test papers of life, we forget this basic truth of life. We tend to easily get caught in the web of negativity which is always there and it gets created because of the habit of perceiving situations negatively.

Do you know that when a powerful consciousness acts on a negative situation on an energy level, it is an interaction between positive and negative forces? The greater our positive consciousness or the power of the positive force, the faster the negative scene which is the negative force, transforms into a positive one. The positive force is the energy of the mind and the negative force is a situation which is of the physical world, either of our physical body, of our wealth, of our relationships or of our role or sometimes of our mind itself. In all the cases except of the mind, it is the non-physical force of our consciousness which is stronger than the physical one because the mind is subtle and possesses greater power than anything physical. The mind can influence matter more than the other way round i.e. matter influencing the mind. Techniques like what we have shared in the previous message i.e. a positive thought diary maintained for the entire week can help you in raising the power of your mind. Keep one positive thought with you everyday even if negative situations do not exist in your life and over a period of time you will enjoy a greater success rate in transforming negative situations of all types.

Thought to Ponder: I can really excel when I try each day to be better than what I was yesterday. Instead of trying hard to compete with others, I need to compete with myself. This will ensure that I am moving forward in the direction of my own specialties. This will bring excellence in what I do.

Point to Practice: Today I will work on one quality of mine and use it consciously. This quality could be a simple skill or a virtue. When I recognize and use it consciously, I will find it increasing. So, today I will put into use one quality of mine.

“Positive Thought Based Living – Part 1”

Living in a world of high speed and action in our everyday lives, we need to spend a few minutes everyday looking at how much time did we spend in the day in giving and spreading the fragrance of our specialties and loving each one whom we meet, with a big heart. Always see and check whether each action of yours is dedicated to the benefit of others and not only for benefiting the self. We all know and realize that the day to day routine includes work tasks of different types but life is also about giving and receiving from others all that’s beautiful in life like peace, love and happiness. It’s fine to be over involved with work but even in that work there are some people who are more in touch with their inner goodness. Some will make it a point to share good things with others in the form of good words while talking to them and good gestures while interacting with them. Some people will make it a point to share with others, something good over email or on the phone before starting their daily routine at office or even the regular work at home if they are not working.

So life isn’t all about working hard for a living but living a value based life and spreading the fragrance of values to others. Values are not to be kept within you but shared with others and distributed with a big heart. There are some people who will put up a good thought everyday, in their homes or on their computers screens or at some place in their office where everyone can read it, take inspiration from it, bring it into practice and also inspire others with it.This is called positive thought based living and not just plain living which most of us indulge in. Live life to the fullest and enjoy it but not at the cost of giving up values. Let every person whom you come in contact with, feel you are different not only in terms of personality and skills but also in terms of your basic nature and the virtues or qualities you possess. Then the world will become a beautiful place to live in and we will be like one big family closely knit together in a bond of pure love and happiness.

Thought to Ponder: We do have a lot of treasures. But we need to understand that we are entrusted with these treasures so that we can bring benefit to others too. When we put into use treasures like our thoughts, values, skills etc for the benefit of others, we are benefited too. So, we need to use all these treasures as a trustee.

Point to Practice: Today I will say everything that is mine belongs to God and is meant for His service.This ensures that I don’t waste or misuse any of the treasures entrusted to me. I use it well for others, as well as for myself.

“Positive Thought Based Living – Part 2”

Blessings from every person you meet will make your life more beautiful and free of difficult situations. Living a life of giving joy to others through the simplest possible ways like a smile or a warm greeting or a gesture of appreciation is a beautiful way of gathering blessings from everyone. It is said very commonly – give blessings and take blessings. That means the more you keep good wishes for others the more full of good wishes you will be which you will receive back from others. A good practice whenever you meet someone is to ensure that you have shared something with the other person e.g. If a person comes to you and he is lacking love, just look at him and create a pure and positive thought in your mind that may this person experience his original quality of love and may he share the same with others. Do this with a humble consciousness. This is like giving a blessing to the other. This will inspire the other person to change and imbibe the quality of love which he is lacking. You may think this won’t work, but the power of a positive thought created by you is immense, which can transform the other person completely. After all our thought energy does touch the other person’s consciousness on a subtle level. It’s like whispering into the other’s ears a message of pure love which he is lacking, listening to which is an inspiration for him to change himself. In the same way, if someone has a habit of becoming angry very easily and you pass her on a particular day on the street, look at her and send her a good wish that may you experience lots of peace which is your original sanskara. These are blessings which work magically. Powerful thoughts have immense power, much more than words.

The pure love that you carry in this incognito way for others is like a healing balm for others which can make people more beautiful and bring them closer to you. Try giving a good wish to every person you meet in the day for one week and you will see how all your relationships with people become more beautiful and how everyone around you start becoming better individuals. It’s a beautiful practice.

To be content and make others content is the best way to get good wishes.

Thought to Ponder: Whether others are good to me or not, I need to develop the art of being content. I can be content when I appreciate what I have rather than just expecting from others or situations. When I am content, I can provide others too from my own reservoir. Thus, I will be able to give the experience of contentment to others too. This is a simple way to earn good wishes from others, filling me more.

Point to Practice: Today I will not let any one go away from me empty handed. I will ensure that every person that comes to me, gets some positive experience or is connected to something positive in his own life. This will keep me busy giving and will make me free from expectations too.

“Positive Thought Based Living – Part 3”

A very easy technique of radiating good wishes at the level of the mind is looking at others as a spiritual being of light i.e. looking at the spiritual form of others. We all know from our previous messages that the soul is a spiritual energy which constantly radiates energy to the world. When I look at the star like form of others which is the form of the soul at the centre of the forehead, which is the same as my spiritual form, I radiate my original qualities of peace, love, purity and joy to others. It’s like empowering others with my vision. This again is to be done in complete humility and remembering that the other person is my soul brother and we are children of one Father – God and we share a common bond with Him. Also since we are children of the one Father, we have the same originalsanskaras or qualities mentioned above. Every day you meet so many people. Look at them as soul brothers at the centre of the forehead – the sparkling star of spiritual energy, full of pure qualities. This way they will return what you share with them through your vision. God looks at all of us with this type of vision. God has the knowledge of your physical body or role but always looks at your star like spiritual form or the soul, which is your eternal form. The physical costume which we call the human body and the role we play is temporary and keeps changing.

Lastly, never think negative for any person. The busier we become, the more negative we get at times for others because we do not have time for introspection or looking inwards. Very often, we have got into the habit of having a negative mindset especially when we talk to our loved ones or close ones about others. We commonly say such and such person is not so nice and we mention some negative personality characteristic or weakness of the other person or a certain negative way in which he or she has behaved. So common this is. You come home from office and talk to your family members about all the negative things that took place in your office and all the negative behaviors of everyone there. And all that you talk or discuss far away from the other person on a physical level but it all travels to others on a non-physical level, which creates barriers in relationships. So think positive and think good, spread the energy of positivity to others all the time and enjoy what we call positive thought based living.

Thought to Ponder: To be good to people who are good to us is very easy. But the real beauty of life lies in knowing how to get along well with one and all. That means, I need to know how to empower my interactions so that I am able to get along well even with someone who is not so good to us. Just like notes of music which are different, I need to understand that everyone is different and I need to create beautiful music even in the worst conditions.

Point to Practice: Today I will see what I can do to get along well with one person whom I wasn’t comfortable with. It could be some quality that I need to work on. It could be assertiveness or love or any other quality which will help me get along well with the person.

“Frozen Perceptions”

Like water, which over a period of time freezes and takes the form of frozen ice cubes, when kept in an ice tray; perceptions of different things, people and events, inside our consciousness, which come onto the surface of our consciousness regularly i.e. we shape our thoughts, words and actions based on them, regularly, take the form of rigid perceptions over a period of time. These rigid or frozen perceptions, which sometimes never liquefy in our entire lifetime, are commonly called our beliefs, which can stick in our consciousness like ice cubes and be difficult to uproot at times. One of the greatest harms that holding to a set of beliefs does is, that it doesn’t let us see from other peoples’ point of view.

Let’s say two people look at the same painting from two different points in a room. One describes what she sees and how the painting looks to her. Then the other describes how the painting looks to him. Both perceptions are bound to be different to some extent. They are different because they look from different angles, different points (places) of viewing in the same room. So who has the right view? Neither. But what both of them see is right from their point of view. Another e.g. is, there is Mrs. A at my workplace, whom over a period of time, I have been seeing from a certainpoint of view and have started perceiving to be inefficient. Bringing this perception into my consciousness repeatedly has frozen this perception inside my consciousness and it has taken the form of a belief, which may be incorrect or correct, partially or completely. Now even if three different people who have all seen Mrs. A from three differentpoints of view i.e. in three different set of circumstances, and have seen three different shades of the same virtue i.e. efficiency in her; come and share their different, but all positive and right perceptions with me, depending on their respective circumstantial view, I will not agree with them and not respect their perception because a person with unfrozen perceptions would at least give a hearing to others’ perceptions, but someone with frozen perceptions, i.e. with fixed beliefs, is not able to that and is not able to empathize with or see from others’ point of view.

Thought to Ponder: The practice of concentrating the mind on one thought even whilst being busy is being truly victorious over the mind. This practice helps in using all powers and qualities that are in me.

Point to Practice: Today I will take a thought and remind myself of it from time to time. A simple thought like “I am the creator of my thoughts and so the master of my mind” or “I am powerful” or “I am special”. Such thoughts, when reminded from time to time in my busy schedule, helps me practice mastery.

“Seven Techniques To Let Go Off The Past – Part 1”

Almost each one of us carries a heavy or subtle burden of negative events and happenings that have taken place in our life sometime in the past, either an immediate past or a far-off one; which reduce our present contentment levels immensely. The negative past could be of any form – you experienced the loss of a close loved one due to a break-up or sudden death; you went through a serious physical illness or a very lean phase of financial loss, you were abused on a mental or physical level; you were not treated properly by a colleague at office and undue advantage was taken of you; you performed an inappropriate action and you repent up till now, even after many years have passed, and many such similar and different types of incidents.

There are three different types of processes for removing negative past memories from our consciousness:

Modifying – A negative past event is modified into a positive, beneficial form and then stored in the consciousness.

Forgetting – Memories of a negative past event are forgotten and do not exist either in our conversations or in our conscious mind or thoughts, but traces of those memories exist in the sub-conscious mind.

Erasing – No traces of the negative past exist in the consciousness and memories of it are completely removed from the sub-conscious also.

We need to take the help of all the different aspects or techniques of spirituality and not depend on only one or two for these removal processes. In the next two days’ messages, we will explain all these different techniques of spirituality, which if incorporated in our life, help us experience lightness and emotional freedom from the past. All of them have their own unique importance.

Thought to Ponder: We do want to bring about a change in our lives, but most times we are not able to do so. This is because; a lot of thought energy is getting wasted in unnecessary things. Any thought which is not brought into action in the right way is waste. So, we need to check and change such thoughts, so that there is power to change.

Point to Practice: Today I will check the quality of my thoughts from time to time (at least 5 times today). If I find myself thinking something that is not useful (it may not necessarily be a negative thought), I will change it with a nice positive thought. This practice will help me recognise what is waste, and then work to change it too.

“Seven Techniques To Let Go Off The Past – Part 2”

Positive Information and Intoxication – The more we listen or read positive and constructive spiritual knowledge, even if it is for 10 minutes daily, and imbibe (absorb) it, the more our negative memories fade into the background. Also the regular input of knowledge lifts our consciousness to a higher level and gives us an experience of intoxication or spiritual bliss, in which the memory of our past sorrows and negative experiences gets dissolved. Even on a physical level, there are lots of people who indulge in some kind of addiction or intoxication only because it temporarily helps them to overcome and forget the negatives in their life.

Karma Realization – Another benefit of spiritual knowledge is that it makes us realize the various shades and details of the Law of Karma and its application in the World Drama, which helps us immensely in letting go of the past and concentrating on our present so that a bright future can be built, irrespective of the quality of the past.

Self and God Realization – One of the most important benefits of meditation, an important aspect of spirituality, is that it makes us realize and experience the spiritual self and the Father of the spiritual self, the Supreme Soul, accurately. This is an experience of liberation, in which there is no room for past repentances. Past repentances are more a reflection of excessive attachment to the physical or material or attachment to incorrect emotions related to body-consciousness, remembering the damage caused by it to the self and experiencing sorrow due to the same.

Connection and Relation – Also, meditation being a deep connection between me and the Supreme Father, it fills me with immense power and it is also an intense relationship, which fills me with love, happiness and peace. In the experience of these attainments, over a period of time, my past ceases to burden my consciousness.

Thought to Ponder: When I am patient with life’s situations and people, I am able to appreciate the beauty of everything that is happening in my life. I am not caught up with the future, but am able to enjoy this moment and use it well. This automatically brings contentment in my life, without making me lazy.

Point to Practice: Today I will make patience my companion. When anything happens that I don’t like, I just have to remind myself that I need to enjoy this moment and work to make my future better. I need not worry about what will happen or have fear of it.

“Seven Techniques To Let Go Off The Past – Part 3”

Correction – Memories inside the soul are like imprints or impressions on the soul. Some impressions are deep, some are not. Negative past experiences leave very deep negative impressions or scars on the soul, which sometimes take a lot of time to heal and sometime an entire lifetime can be sent without them getting healed. Negative past experience imprints and negative emotions like anger, hatred, attachment etc. are closely linked. So, correcting the self or incorporating positive sanskars fills the spiritual self with positive impressions. This, over a period of time, nullifies the effect of these negative impressions and as a result, the related negative memories.

Donation – Donation can be simply defined as the distribution of the invisible attainments one has experienced through spiritual self transformation, to others. It helps one receive blessings or positive energy of those whom we donate to and gives life a focused positive purpose, both of which help us immensely in forgetting our past. People who live only for themselves will find it more difficult to forget their past as compared to ones who spend a lot of time for others. Giving happiness to others helps us in forgetting our griefs.

Interaction – The more we interact with and remain in the company of positive minded people and have positive conversations with them, we give and receive positive energy and the more our past gets erased from my consciousness. Spirituality teaches us to look inwards and experience introvertness, which we haven’t experienced for a long time. At the same time, spirituality also teaches us to keep a balance between looking inwards and outwards. Composed and balanced extrovertness and healthy, happy relationships with virtuous people help us remain more in a present consciousness, not giving the mind to drift too much into the past.

Thought to Ponder: When I love myself, I will use all my qualities without being affected by the external situations. I will then use my capability to the fullest. This self esteem brings respect from others too. Others will continue to see and respect those specialties as I am using them consistently.

Point to Practice: Today I will pat myself on my back and say to myself “you are special and I love you and am proud of you”. Just as we tend to encourage others, we need to encourage ourselves too. This will help us get in touch with our own qualities, which would then be expressed in all we do.

“In The Company Of The Purest One – Part 1”

A beautiful experience with God is one of playing different relationships with God at the same time and experiencing the joy of the same. There is no doubt that no human being can take the place of God in this world drama and there is no one as high as Him. All human souls are full of peace, joy, love, bliss, purity, power and wisdom for some time, but not permanently. As the souls come down the ladder of different births, they come in different relationships with each other and as the souls play their roles through physical bodies, they become attached with their physical bodies. Because of that, they lose these qualities and that affects their relationships. Do you know that no human soul has gone back to the soul world from the middle of their birth-rebirth cycle as every soul has to take birth after birth? This happens until God comes down Himself and purifies the souls so that they can fly back to the soul world, from where they have come as pure souls.

So, each and every human soul needs the help of God to go back to the world where God also stays – the soul world. Do remember that God does not come in the cycle of birth and rebirth and is always a resident of the soul world until the world cycle reaches its end point i.e. the end of Kaliyuga or the Iron Age, which is the present moment. All human souls will be liberated by the Supreme Soul or God now and will be taken back by Him to the soul world. So, this is the time when the Supreme Parent of Humanity is with us and we are all His 7 billion children, who need His power to become as pure as Him, which we were before coming into this physical world. So, God is One and we are all soul-brothers who will be purified by this One God, who is the everlasting and eternal Ocean of Purity.

Thought to Ponder: Sweet words are like flowers, when given to others brings happiness and spread love. On the other hand, harsh words are like stones that hurt. Harsh words emerge when there is some weakness working within me. Harsh words means that in some way I am feeling helpless and am resorting to something which is not so constructive.

Point to Practice: Today I will not say anything that is not sweet. If a situation does arise where I have to say something not so good and nice, I will move away from there. Till I am sure that I will not speak such words, I will not come back to that situation. In fact, I will try and resolve that point in my mind so that I don’t speak anything negative.

“In The Company Of The Purest One – Part 2”

Whenever anyone in the world remembers God, they look upwards, which means that there is a Higher energy which looks upon us and is taking care of us all the time. Also God has taken care of us in many of our births, when we experienced pain of any particular kind. We forgot our spiritual identity and who we are and also who God is but God never forgot us and all the time was filling us with His love and sustenance so that we could be happy. Of course, the extent of His love for us varies and is most when He actually comes down in the world at the end of the world cycle as stated in yesterday’s message. But even when He is in the soul world up above, He helps us in different ways. God is a parent, a Supreme one, who has His own ways of loving us and getting us out of trouble, which we sometimes, in our birth-rebirth cycle, have not understood completely.

There is no human being who can take the place of God in this world drama. Although there will be human souls who are higher and purer than the rest and have performed higher actions and that is why some human souls are respected more than the rest and also worshipped in temples and other places of worship and also remembered a lot by thousands of people. Deities or devi devtas are human souls with divine qualities and also founders of different religions are extremely pure souls who have been loved for what roles they played and are remembered even many years after they have left their roles and physical bodies. Even famous gurus have left an important mark on the world with their lives of purity which they have led and the direction that they gave to many people and showed how to lead pure and peaceful lives. But today all these pure souls, at the end of the world cycle, need God’s help and power to become pure again.

Thought to Ponder: Attachment is like a bondage. When I am attached to someone, I will not be able to fly nor will I let the other person progress. On the other hand, love empowers. I will be able to see what is lacking and provide accordingly. I will be able to enjoy the sweet relationship without feeling the bondage.

Point to Practice: Today I will check and see with which relationship I am experiencing sorrow. I will then see how I can change it into something more positive. I will work on the relationship in such a way that both will be able to experience freedom. There would be, then, be no expectations, but only the ability to give.

“In The Company Of The Purest One – Part 3”

Every year, different religions of the world celebrate the birthdays and other special days of the founders of their religions. In India, festivals like Krishna Janmashtami, Ram Navami and many others are celebrated to give respect to deities or devi devtas who have lived here in the past. Everyone we love and respect are human beings with physical bodies and God is the only one without a physical body. He only plays one role on the earth and the most important one in the whole world drama, that too at the end of the world cycle. This is when it’s time for us to go back to our home or the soul world from where we have come at the beginning of the world cycle.

There are lots of different views about the duration of the world cycle but it is God who knows when souls come from the soul world down in the physical world and how much time it takes them for becoming pure to impure and when they return home. And this knowledge is revealed by God when He comes down from the soul world to purify everyone and take them back to the soul world with Him. To learn about this we, at the Brahma Kumaris, ask you to come and experience God through the meditation taught at the Brahma Kumaris and then that experience will take your relationship with God to a completely different level and bring you closer to God. For that, we would want you to take out some time, for our free introductory course, which is held at all our centers in India as well as 115 countries abroad. After that, you will be in a position to understand the complete knowledge what the Brahma Kumaris teaches. And you will also be able to practice meditation and be sure that whom you are connecting with in meditation is the truth and as a result believe and understand the knowledge which He is giving.

Thought to Ponder: Whenever we find ourselves speaking rude or discouraging words, we realize and wish to change. We really don’t like speaking that way. Yet we find that it is very difficult to do so. To try at the level of words may not bring change, but when I change my thoughts towards the other person, the seed of my thoughts will bring change in my words too.

Point to Practice: Today I will have good wishes for everyone I meet. Especially for those who are not so good to me. This will help me positive and powerful in my words too. What I speak will then bring benefit to those I interact with.

“The Functioning Of My Internal Processor”

The body consists of physical limbs to move around and carry out its tasks in the physical world. So too, the soul has the subtle limbs – the limb possessing the power to think (mind), the limb possessing the power to reason and make decisions (intellect) and limb of its own unique personality. These three subtle limbs are used to maneuver, control and carry out tasks in the inner subtle (non-physical) world of thoughts, feelings, emotions, decisions, mental images and nature characteristics (or commonly called habits). I need to understand completely how these limbs work individually and also how they function together in conjunction as a team. This understanding helps me immensely in putting my personal mental and emotional world in order.

If the processor of my computer develops a problem, my computer comes to a standstill. I will be able to fix it only if I know how it works. In the same way, I have an internal processor which has three processes going on inside it continuously right through the day – the processes of thinking (mind), deciding (intellect) and becoming (sanskaras) – which affect my complete functioning as a human being. Only if I understand completely the functioning of this internal processor, can I start to correct myself and function well.

Thought to Ponder: Just passing through a situation is nothing great. Even the most difficult situation has to end some day. But the one who makes effort and is prepared beforehand, passes through the situation with his head held high. It is like traveling in air conditioned class, that means I am comfortable. The journey is as important as the destination.

Point to Practice: Today I will sail through the day with the right consciousness. In all that happens through the day, I will keep my mind happy and comfortable. Even if things go wrong, I will not let anything go wrong inside. I will resolve what comes my way and if I can’t, just for today I will make sure I’ll postpone worrying about it for tomorrow.

“Entering The Gates To Heaven – Part 1”

According to the knowledge shared by God at the present moment, when the world cycle began with the Golden Age on Earth which we call heaven, deities or devi devtas who lived in heaven, were completely full of all the divine qualities.Devi devtas whom people all over India and even outside India worship, never looked upwards and prayed to God, the Supreme Being, calling out to Him. This is because they were completely pure human beings and also there was no sorrow whatsoever in their lives. As reminded by God to us at the present moment, these devi devtas were none other than we i.e. the same souls, but purer than we are today and in different pure human bodies. We were completely happy at that time. Also, as per the true story of the world drama, this land of happiness which we call Swarg, was given to us in the time that had passed just before heaven began. Heaven is a land of joy on Earth and not a land beyond the clouds up above.

As per the secrets of the world drama, we souls get purified by God each time we become impure and lose our power. After this purification process, we go back to the world from where we have come i.e. the soul world or Shantidham, which is a world up above, and then come back in the world to begin our journey of life and death again and that beginning is called heaven and it exists down on Earth and not somewhere above. We live as devi devtas in this pure world and we are the happiest human beings that ever exist and also the richest, luckiest, healthiest and most beautiful and content humans and we don’t need to remember God. It is only when we take many births and lose our purity and become sorrowful and are no longer in the form of devi devtas that we start calling out to God.

Thought to Ponder: When we serve through our words and actions, we also need to serve through our mind. Only then will it be powerful service. If I get affected by the negativity of someone or something that is happening, I cannot be powerful. There will be pity, but I will not be able to empower the other person.

Point to Practice: Today I will empower someone with my words and also with my good wishes. I will help someone with a feeling of positivity. For this, today I will maintain a positive state of mind through out the day, so that I can give rather than be influenced.

“Entering The Gates To Heaven – Part 2”

Such a time is remembered in all religions in different ways. In Christianity there is a reference to the Garden of Eden. Also, Christians commonly use the words – Heavenly God Father which literally means the Father who has established heaven who is none other than God or the Supreme Soul. In Islam, the word Bahist is commonly used and also the Garden of Allah is a common term that we speak of in English which means that Allah had created a place where everyone was happy and there was plenty to enjoy. In India, we commonly say that a soul has departed to heaven i.e. it has gone into a joyful life when someone dies which means the soul has left its old physical body. Why do we want someone to go to heaven after he or she has gone away and why do we remember it so much? This is because it has existed at some time in the past and as we have taken many births and have changed physical bodies or costumes we still have a faint memory of the world in which we have lived in the past and experienced complete happiness.

Even in countries outside India, heaven and hell are commonly referred to in general discussions. Heaven and hell are not regions somewhere up above and down below respectively. Heaven was the day of humanity which we lived in when we started our journey on the Earth and hell is the night of humanity which we live in now, where there is complete sorrow and peacelessness. The time in between hell and heaven is the time when we souls get purified by God and return back to the soul world up above.

Thought to Ponder: When I go on putting in effort in the right direction, I will keep gaining qualities. I will be able to keep drawing the best from everything around and also keep receiving cooperation from people. If, in between anything or anyone hinders this, effort needed to be put in at that time will be not so much because I am continuing to put in my efforts anyway.

Point to Practice: Today I will put in efforts towards my aim, without worrying about the results. I will at least do 3 things that can take me towards my aim. This will ensure that I have a practice of continuous inputs. For, I know the result will come anyway, at its own time.

“Entering The Gates To Heaven – Part 3”

A few steps back into the history of mankind and you will see how many wars were fought and blood was shed and there were many of us who suffered many illnesses and died suffering diseases and a lack of proper medical treatment. In some births, close relationships were lost in war and famous kings of the world lost their entire kingdoms in war and were reduced to a poor existence. Also, as we came down history lane, we saw how India suffered due to the oppression from foreigners and we were in pain as we were ruled by outsiders and were freed but at the cost of pain and hatred created amongst each other. We came from two ages of heaven – the Golden Age and Silver Age also called Satyuga and Tretayuga respectively and entered Dwaparyuga or the Copper Age, where sorrow and cries of worship of God began. The last age as we all know was Kaliyuga or the Iron Age. The Copper Age and the Iron Age together make hell. Today we are at the end of the Iron Age or Kaliyuga and a very short and fifth age – the Confluence Age or Sangamyuga has begun in which God has begun His task of world change in which He is purifying those who Have recognized His divine presence in the world and know that He has chosen us, ordinary human beings, to help Him change His world from hell, back to heaven and take us back to heaven.

This going back from hell to heaven and this re-construction of heaven is what God is doing and this is His most important task or role in this world drama. Because heaven is followed by hell and then heaven comes again because of God’s effort, this is called the world cycle, which keeps repeating. According to the true knowledge shared by God at the present time, when He is amongst us, each world cycle from the beginning of heaven to the end of hell lasts for 5000 years and each of the four ages Satyuga, Tretayuga, Dwaparyuga and Kaliyuga lasts for 1250 years each. So, heaven is half the world cycle and hell is the second half. Also, the fifth age which is the Confluence Age orSangamyuga lasts for about 100 years, which has already began, and in which the task of world transformation will be completed by God, with our help.

Thought to Ponder: Normally, we are very caught up with the opinion of others. This leads to fear of making mistakes. Also, it makes us weak, when we don’t get appreciation. But, I need to ask myself if I am leading my life in a way that I am proud of myself. Then, I am able to appreciate myself first and others are also able to appreciate me.

Point to Practice: Today I will appreciate the qualities in me, pat myself on my back for what I am and move on. Only when I appreciate myself, others will also be able to appreciate me. So today I will appreciate myself, even by learning from mistakes. I will do things, not just to please others, but to please myself first.